Me Against the World
by neorago
Summary: Being the child of two branch leaders was never an easy role. For Verity, it only meant chaos and confusion. However, when her brother goes missing and she gets kidnapped, she realized that there was a world of secrets and lies being kept from her.
1. Chapter 1

**Me Against the World**

_"Once upon a time -"_

_"Mommy, not all stories start that way." _

_"... Why, yes, you are right. Okay then, not too long ago, there was a big hunt."_

_"For animals?" _

_"No, but for treasures." _

_"You mean like pirates did?"_

_"... Yes, sweetie, like the pirates did. The hunt pit four different teams against each other to fight for the prize. All four were special in their own ways, but isolated, they could do nothing but run around in circles, chasing each other."_

_"Like Tom and Jerry?" _

_"Yes, like Tom and Jerry. However, two of the competitors did not have a team. They were by themselves, with only one person to help them. What they did not know was that they would be the ones to reunite those four teams." _

_"In peace?"_

_"Maybe, honey, maybe. But right before that could happen, something bad happened."_

_"What, mommy? What happened?" _

_"... nothing, sweetie. They defeated them in the end, okay? Get some sleep, mm-kay?"_

_"Okay, mommy. Good night."_

_"Good night, Verity."_

That was the last night I saw both my mother and my father. Right after she turned off the light and I had cuddled into the warmth of my blankets, there was a crash and muffled voices. I heard as light footsteps ran towards my room, and I stopped breathing for a second to realize it was just Leo. His eyes were as round as buttons, and he ran towards me.

I don't know why, but I knew we had to get out. Like I used to do before my mother had started locking my window, I would climb out to the tree beside my room and climb down. I figured out how to break the lock days back, but I dared not tell my mother.

We rushed out just in time to see the house burst into flames, my hopes crashing beneath them.

* * *

**A/N: I always wanted to write about actual children in the 39 Clues. As you can tell, they are non-canon characters, or OC, but their parents are canon characters. This is not Amy - obviously stated when the mom says her name and when she says her younger brother's name is Leo. Anyway, please point out any errors and so on.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Our uncle took us in after the fire. I always remembered him as a happy, silly man who never took anything seriously unless it had to do with something silly as well. But when he heard the news about my parents, his eyes suddenly lost their light and his voice was devoid of emotion. It was as if he had gone through it before.

He raised us, and cared for us as if we were his own. He wasn't that old when he took us in either - he was barely twenty-three! - but he still made us his priority. When he eventually married a couple of years later, our lives changed.

"This is Jackie," he introduced us while they were still dating.

Jackie was nice. She had long black hair that curled, and green eyes just like my mother's, and she had a fun personality. Honestly, I didn't mind having her as a step-mom-sort-of-person. What I _did _mind was the kid she had as well.

It wasn't hers, I was told. It was her younger brother. Apparently, their parents just passed away - kind of like Leo's and mine - and Jackie took him in. He was an annoying boy, with looks like his sisters, and a personality that suited a donkey.

His name was Wyatt. He reminded me, in his own way, of my own brother, except my brother looked like me, and Wyatt looked nothing like either of us, except for his eyes. His eyes, unfortunately, seemed like an exact copy of mines. My brother had the darker set of eyes, on behalf of my father.

Wyatt and Leo got along fine. Wyatt and I got along like fire and ice. We argued all the time, and he always hogged the bathroom before school. I'm pretty sure things would have stayed that way had the news not arrived.

"Nellie's been _what_?" I heard our uncle say incredulously over the phone as I was walking into the kitchen. "But how? I... I'll be there soon. Bye Hamilton."

"Who's Nellie?" I asked as I pulled out a chair. "She a friend?"

My uncle - who I am supposed to call Dan but my father always told me to address adults by their formal name rather than their first - let out a sigh. "Yes. An old friend who has been working in the United Nations for the past years."

"United Nations? Isn't that what mom used to work for?" I asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. I always tried my best to learn new things about my parents whenever my uncle was around, but he always seemed so far off when we spoke of her.

He nodded somberly. "Yes, and now Nellie has gone missing as well." I did not know what it meant, but it seemed interesting.

"And who is Hamilton?"

"Another old friend," he said, suddenly tired. My uncle used to always be happy - and occasionally, he still was - but at times like that, he was strangely serious and 'tired'.

"Oh," I said, deciding not to press further.

Leo and Wyatt walked in. Though Leo and Wyatt got along quite well, Wyatt was my age and Leo was two years younger than both of us. "What's up?" Leo asked, plopping himself down.

"Nothing," I said, not wanting to repeat what our uncle said in front of Wyatt.

"She's lying," Wyatt snapped, rolling his eyes. "It's so obvious she's hiding something."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "It's none of your business anyway, Wyatt."

He glared at me and poured himself a glass of milk. "You're so immature, Verity."

I almost laughed. "Look who's talking, Mister-I-Still-Watch-Power-Rangers."

We continued to have a glaring contest until his older sister stepped in.

"Dan, someone's at the door for you," she said, her wavy hair tied in a ponytail.

Dan nodded and made his way toward the door. Jackie came and sat down in front of me, pulling out a banana.

"What's up, kiddos?" she asked, grinning as she ruffled Wyatt's hair.

I laughed as I watched Wyatt's face scrunch up.

"Not much," I admitted. "Kind of bummed school is almost starting."

Jackie laughed. "Ah, yeah. You know, that's weird because..." she trailed off, as if she realized she said something wrong.

"What?" I asked, frowning.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head all of a sudden. "Um, I'm going to see what's taking Dan so long at the door." She rushed off out of the kitchen.

Wyatt stared after her. "She's weird," he finally announced.

I rolled my eyes and left the table. I found Dan and Jackie's back turned towards me as they talked to the man at the door. I tried seeing who it was, but either that man was very short or my 'step-parents' made very good shields at blocking the stranger.

"I still don't understand how you found us," my uncle muttered, keeping his voice low.

"I told you - we Madrigals have our ways. You should know that," the deep voice came from the other side.

I watched as a scowl settled over my uncle's features. "I gave that up a long time ago."

"It wasn't your fault, Daniel -"

"He knows," Jackie interrupted quietly. "But it was his sister."

"Yes, but he needs to know his duties as well."

"I -"

"OH! Verity is eavesdropping!" Wyatt yelled, causing my uncle and Jackie to turn towards us.

"Shut up, Wyatt!" I screamed back. "You were the one watching me!"

"I was not!"

"Yeah, you were!"

"I was not!"

"Yeah, you -"

"Wyatt," Jackie snapped. "Stop it. You too, Verity."

"Who's at the door, Jackie?" Wyatt asked instead. "A salesman? What's he selling?"

"Nothing," Jackie snapped, though her voice was more tired.

"Candy? Toys?" Wyatt continued, ignoring her.

"Who are these children?" the man finally asked. I could only see a little of him, but he was dressed in all gray, from head-to-toe. In a way, he was the exact opposite of Jackie.

"No one," my uncle muttered. "You don't need to know who."

"Actually, I already know who they are," the stranger continued. "I just was being polite. Why, this must be Verity and Leo, the children of -"

"I'm not Leo!" Wyatt objected. "I'm Wyatt! Leo's eating cereal in the kitchen!"

"I told you to leave them out of it," my uncle warned in a low voice.

"It is their heritage," the man continued. "You cannot hide them from it."

"You know that their heritage belongs with their father, not Amy," my uncle scowled.

"But you know that the girl is not like her father. Not fully, at least."

"I don't care. You will not -"

"Why hello, Verity Kabra," the man finally said, addressing me with a smile that was so fake, it hurt just to look at it. "I am, in a way, your step-grandfather."

"You-You're my mom's dad?" I asked faintly, not believing it. I had never met any of my family members beside my uncle on my mother's side and very rarely my aunt on my father's side. Btu she was never around often, so it my uncle that I was close to.

"No," he admitted, which somewhat relieved me. He did not seem like the person I would want as a grandfather. He looked like a morgue keeper. "I am, in a way, their adopted father. In reality, I was your mother's grandmother's brother."

_Wow, he's old, _was the first thought that popped into my mind. "Oh," was all I managed.

"And where is little Leo Kabra?" he continued, still smiling his creepy smile.

"Eating," I said, feeling faint. It was all too weird for me to handle.

"Let's go see him, shall we?" the stranger continued, stepping in without an invitation to do so.

My uncle looked as if he was about to protest, but didn't have the strength to. I watched as Jackie took his hand and squeezed it. Slowly, I led them to the kitchen, where a bowl was crashed into pieces on the ground, and a spoon disregarded on the table.

* * *

**A/N: ... just for clearance, Wyatt and Verity will never be a couple. Evar. That's disgusting. They're step-siblings. Get the idea out of your mind - I know some of you might be thinking it o.O Anyway, I hope you guys realize who the parents are of Verity and Leo by now, and... yeah. Please point out any mistakes. Thanks.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

"What a mess!" Jackie exclaimed, taking in a sharp breath. "Why would Leo do this?"

"Where is Leo anyway?" Wyatt asked, raising an eyebrow as he scanned the room.

"Probably in his room," my uncle said with a sigh. "I'll go find him. Come on, Verity."

I followed after him, and when we reached his room, he didn't turn the doorknob. Instead, he turned to me and said, "He's gone." Two words that made me feel as if I had run out of oxygen.

"W-What?" I asked incredulously. "What are you talking about? He's in his room, isn't he?"

But he shook his head and repeated, "He's gone. I don't know how they got him without us hearing it, but he's gone. I can hear nothing around the house except us."

"No," I said, choosing not to believe him ignorantly. "He_ has _to be here. Where else could he be?"

"They took him," my uncle continued, his voice suddenly turned desperate. "Not again..."

Not again? What did he mean? I didn't know if he was having a mental breakdown or what, but he was starting to scare me, telling me someone took my little brother. I turned away from him and stormed into the room, but it was empty. I rushed back out and started searching the whole house, but I didn't find him. When I returned to the kitchen, Wyatt's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"He's not there," I breathed, shaking my head. "Where is he, Uncle Dan? Where is he?" I held in my breath, hoping he was just playing and they were just putting a prank on me.

But instead of laughs or grins, I was met by somber looks by everyone, including Wyatt.

"I told you, Verity. They took Leo."

* * *

I heard this story before.

_"No too long ago, there was a hunt."_

"A couple of years back, before you two were born, there was a hunt between the Cahills."

_"The hunt pit four different teams against each other to fight for the prize. All four were special in their own ways..." _

"There were four branches: the Lucian, the Ekaterina, the Janus, and the Tomas_. _The Lucians were born leaders. The Ekaterinas were naturally brilliant. The Janus were skilled in the arts, and the Tomas were the strongest of them all."

_ "Isolated, they could do nothing but run around in circles, chasing each other."_

"For a long time, the hunt went on, teams stealing clues from other teams. Big things happened, of course, but nothing major... yet."

_"However, two of the competitors did not have a team. They were by themselves, with only one person to help them."_

"Amy and I were a team by ourselves, because we did not know what our branch was back then. Nellie, the friend I was talking about earlier, was our au pair during it."_  
_

_ "What they did not know was that they would be the ones to reunite those four teams." _

"We turned out to be Madrigals, a branch who was seen to be evil but were really seeking out peace between the four fighting branches."

_"But right before that could happen, something bad happened."_

"We were close to reuniting the branches after an incident occurred, but then a new family appeared, one more strong than us perhaps."

"Who?" I finally asked, finding my voice.

"The Vespers."

_"They defeated them in the end."_

"We are still trying to find and get rid of them. Your parents were, uh, two of our leaders in the fight."

They were never defeated, that meant. That meant mother had lied, and there was no happily-ever-after like she said.

"So... what is happening?" I finally asked.

"Apparently, they've begun finding the leaders of the revolt and are taking their children," my uncle finally said, frowning. "I don't think Leo was the first."

"I - I -"

"This is _awesome_," Wyatt exclaimed.

We all stared at him incredulously.

"My brother being kidnapped is awesome to you?" I screeched.

He rolled his eyes at me and replied snappily, "That part isn't cool, but the rest of it is. Man, so you mean Jackie married a powerful Madrigal, making us Madrigals too. AWESOME."

"Actually, Wyatt," Jackie said slowly. "We've been Madrigals before that."

All eyes turned towards her, except my uncle's. He looked as if he already knew that - which, he probably did.

"Whoa, you mean -"

"It means we're Madrigals," Jackie sighed. "Born Madrigals since the start."

"So, what next?" Wyatt asked excitedly. "Wicked adventures to go kick some bad guys in the butt?"

But the man in gray shook his head. "We hide."

After that, Wyatt started complaining that we were cowards hiding, and that we should be kicking the Vespers in their behinds because they took Leo. I mean, sure, I wanted to find Leo, but these Vespers were apparently dangerous. I was worried about his health, and mine.

They sent us up to our rooms to pack our necessities. While I was packing, I heard a thump and walked over to the bathroom to see what it was. I almost screamed if it wasn't for Wyatt who had put his hand over my mouth.

"Don't. They'll hear," he whispered, pushing me back.

I pushed him off and whispered, "Who are they? And where is everyone else?"

"Outside, I think. Just be quiet," he snapped back, still whispering.

I never liked taking orders from him, but this one seemed annoyingly reasonably. Quietly, we tried wrenching open the window when suddenly there was a loud crash and everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: Er, for whoever asked, Verity is somewhere around thirteen to fourteen, and Leo is eleven or twelve. Somewhere along those lines, like Amy and Dan. And, please point out if the canon characters are OOC. Don't ignore it :\ Yes, the man in gray is Fiske, but I remembered when he was that creepy man in black following Amy and Dan. Fiske never seemed all too friendly, and he still isn't, but he's not the bad guy at all. Anyway, please point out any mistakes and so on.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up in a van was a living nightmare. I always read stories where kids woke up in the back of a van, being kidnapped because they were important or something, but I had no idea what I'm worth. All I knew was that - _possibly_ - my parents were just the leaders of a revolt against a powerful family. Nothing else... though that might have been a key factor.

Wyatt was awake by then, and he looked terrified. I wanted to smirk and say, "Not so eager to fight bad guys now, are you?" But, truthfully, I was just as scared as him.

We stayed silent for some time until they opened the van door. Immediately, we both pretended to be asleep, in fear that they might do something to us - something _worse _- if we were awake. While we were 'asleep', we could hear them talking.

"I can't believe these are the kids," one of them muttered, his voice deep.

"Well, one of them are," the other, whose voice wasn't as deep but still was pretty deep, replied gruffly.

"The girl, I know," he scowled, grunting as he pulled us out.

"But we need the boy too, so don't pull too hard, you idiot."

"She looks just like her mother. It's disgusting."

"Better than her being like her father, or she'd be smarter."

"Hmm."

They stayed quiet as they pushed us - in who knows what - to wherever they were going. I held my breath the whole time as the wheels below us bumped up and down on the pavement ground.

The next thing we knew we were being pushed to the floor, and a door was shut beside us. It was all a bad horror film to me.

"Lookie here," a new voice murmured.

My eyes flew upwards where a girl, probably my age, stood. She had on a dirty white dress and black flats, her dark hair tied to the side. Though her hair was messy, and her dress stained, she still managed to look gorgeous.

"Well, hello," Wyatt whistled, grinning.

I elbowed him. "Don't be stupid. She could be the enemy," I whispered over to him, glaring.

He rolled his eyes, but no longer spoke.

"I'm not the enemy," she said, frowning. "My name is Olivia Williams, daughter of the prestigious Jackson Williams and the fabulous Natalie Kabra."

"Natalie Kabra?" I immediately noticed the name of my aunt. Her name was almost everywhere, despite her never being anywhere near.

"Yes," she said haughtily, pushing her hair back. "I'm assuming you know her?"

"She's my aunt," I sighed, blowing my hair out of my face.

There was a gasp behind her, and soon a girl stepped up, followed by her brother who seemed to have been trying to hold her back. Both with blond hair, they were wearing jerseys - the girl was wearing a soccer jersey, and the boy a football jersey.

"Cassidy," he whispered, his voice urgent. He seemed scared - of the girl or of the situation, I didn't know.

"That means they're the kids of Ian!" she blurted, ignoring her brother.

The girl who I supposed was in charge pursed her lips. "So, you're my cousin then?"

I nodded.

"You wish," Wyatt snorted. "I'm just her step-brother."

"Hmm," Olivia murmured, looking away. "Well then, I suppose you should meet everyone. Those two are the Holts. Their mother is Lily Demór, and their father is Hamilton Holt, who worked with your, er, uncle, correct?"

"I think," I replied, trying to remember.

"I'm Cassidy," the girl from earlier said, smiling.

"And I'm Caleb," the boy said, his voice more weary.

"They're twins," Olivia murmured, waving them off.

"I see," Wyatt replied.

"Over there, sitting on this disgusting floor, is Haley Starling. She's been trying to think of a way out but has been failing." Olivia's eyes narrowed on the girl. Her hair was a dark black - barely visible in the dark light - and her eyes were tired. "Her father is Ned Starling, and her mother is Carolyn Vinici." She barely glanced towards us, however.

"This is Mason Wizard, son of the once-famous Jonah Wizard and Emily Fritz."

Mason proved to be my favorite person there. After hearing her introduction, he just rolled his eyes. "My father chose to do the right thing for the Janus," he replied coolly. "Unlike your mother."

"Don't speak of my mother that way!" Olivia snapped, glaring at him.

"Then don't speak of my father that way," he replied, returning her glare with his own. Finally, he turned away and looked towards me, and put on a smile. "I'm Mason, like Olivia just said" - he pointed over to the scowling girl - "and my father _is _Jonah Wizard. Have you heard of him?"

I frowned and shook my head.

Mason pursed his lips, thoughtful. "Hmm, well, he gave up his career. He used to be a rapper, but now he is working with the Madrigals against the..." his voice trailed off, assuming we knew who.

"Oh," was all I managed.

"He gets that a lot," Olivia informed them, pushing Mason aside breezily. Mason glared at her back before turning away to speak to the twins.

"So what are we doing here anyway?" Wyatt demanded, crossing his arms.

"I don't know," Olivia muttered, glaring at him. It was obvious she felt just as bad about the whole situation though.

"We think they're trying to get to our parents through us," Mason spoke up, leaning against the wall.

Olivia scowled. "Obviously," she snapped. "But what are they going to do to us is the real question."

"You are so selfish!" Mason yelled back. "Our parents are doing important business, and us being kidnapped is already bad enough for them -"

"Will you two stop?" Haley sighed. "We won't get out like this."

"Who's to say we'll ever get out?" Olivia mourned, her shoulders sagging. "What if we have to age in this disgusting cell for all eternity?"

"Oh stop it," Cassidy said, her voice full of confidence no one else had. "Haley's right. We have to work together to -"

"And the Holt tries to save us. Whoop-de-doo," Olivia interrupted, rolling her eyes. All sense of helplessness gone from her eyes. "With some cliched lines as well, as if that'll help."

"Why are you so mean?" Cassidy asked incredulously.

"Why are you so whiny?" Olivia snapped back.

"Why are you -"

"Stop it!" I finally snapped, glaring at the two of them. "I don't know what we're doing here, but we have to get out. My brother is missing, and I have to find him."

"Good luck with that," Olivia snorted.

I almost hit her. Almost.

But then the door slammed open, and there standing before us were the guards, a teenage boy in their hands, a scowl on his face.

* * *

**A/N: Er, I'm not sure, but do the Holts have brown, green, or blue? Ah, you know what, I don't think I know any of the characters' eye colors except the Kabras and Cahills... ****Anyway, I'm just going to point this out that Leo is NOT Dan and Verity is NOT Amy -.- Verity is not as shy, while Leo is more quiet. There is no possible way Verity could be Amy, or Leo being Dan. That's ridiculous. They may resemble them in the way that they are siblings with lost parents, but other than that, they are quite different. Their father is, after all, Ian Kabra. So, they have mixed traits.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

"Wilmer," Olivia hissed.

The first thing that came to mind was what kind of name Wilmer was. Definitely wasn't like Peter or Bob. Wilmer... huh. I kind of liked it.

The guards pushed him, spat something under their breath, then shut the door again. The teenage boy, probably a year or two older than I was, looked obviously hurt. I tried to help him, but when I stepped forward, Olivia stopped me.

"Don't even think about it," she said, her voice low and admittedly scary.

"But he's hurt -" I objected, obviously not knowing why they wouldn't help him. He was like us, wasn't he?

"He's a traitor," she spat, glaring at the boy who didn't meet any of our eyes.

My lips parted. "How?"

"Why don't you tell her, Wilmer?" Olivia barked, finally putting her hand down to let me pass.

"First of all, Kabra, my name is Eli, not Wilmer," he drawled, his voice not giving away his pain obviously. "Second of all, why should I tell her anything? Who is she?"

"My cousin," Olivia replied, rolling her eyes. I was too annoyed to even be offended.

"Your uncle?" Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't he -"

"Shut it," she said, her voice low once more.

"Who is he?" I asked again, frowning. Why was everyone just staring at him as if he was a wild beast?

"He's one of _them_," Mason finally said, his voice just as poisonous. I almost stepped back at how his mood had turned from annoyed to full out angry.

"Not anymore," Eli snapped back. "And you all know that."

"As if we could trust you," Mason muttered. "Stupid..." The rest of his words were lost to me.

"My name is Eli Wilmer," he started again, ignoring the obvious tension in the room. "My parents... they are..." he seemed to struggle to find the right words to describe them, and I couldn't help but wonder why.

"They're stinkin' Vespers," Mason finally growled, glaring at him.

Vespers... Vespers... _Vespers._ Immediately, all the need to help the stranger was gone, replaced by cold fury. "You! Your family took my brother away!" I yelled, pushing past Olivia - who gave me a disgusted look as I did - and meeting him face to face. "What did you do with him? _What_?" I hadn't been that angry for a long time. Sure, I got into fights with Wyatt a lot, but never had I felt such hatred for a being.

"Calm down," Wyatt said, pulling on my arm.

"No!" I screamed, shrugging him off. "He took Leo away from us - away from me! My only brother!"

"I know," Wyatt muttered. "He's my brother too, but -"

"No!" I repeated, glaring at him. "He's _my_ brother, not yours! You have Jackie! Leo is the only thing I have left now, and without him, what do I - what can I -" My bottom lip started quivering, stopping my rant.

Wyatt sighed. "Verity, stop freaking out. Leo's strong - he'll make it."

"He's only eleven," I said incredulously, ignoring the stray tear rolling down my cheek.

"But he's smart for an eleven-year-old, you must admit," Wyatt said. "Now suck it up, because we have to break out of here before we can rescue him."

"I might be able to help with that," the traitor finally spoke up.

All eyes averted back to him, though most in disgust.

"How?" Olivia asked suspiciously.

"When I broke out of here -"

"And failed," Mason pointed out.

Ignoring him, he continued, "I saw my, er, parents."

I heard someone snort behind us, but I didn't catch who it was.

"They were ashamed," he admitted, ducking his head. "But I managed to convince them that I had 'changed'."

Another snort.

"That's why I was gone for so long. I was trying to make them give me the key to the..." he paused, as if trying to stop himself from saying the wrong thing. "Nothing. Anyway, they caught me, but on my escort out, I managed to swipe some of their keys. I think one of them might be to this door."

"Might," Olivia deadpanned.

"At least I have a plan," he hissed, glaring. "What have you guys thought of yet? Funeral speeches?"

"Oh shut up," Mason muttered.

The traitor laughed coldly. "Exactly."

Olivia glared at him. "Then how do we know this isn't a trick?"

The traitor rolled his eyes, as if they had gone over this before. "How many times do I have to tell you guys? I'm on your side."

"Sure, coming from the kid whose parents happen to be some of the strongest Vespers."

"I didn't choose my parents," he replied, glaring at her.

"That doesn't change who you are," Olivia finally said.

"I don't understand how you all can be so ignorant. I've been on your side for a year now, before I met any of you idiots."

That, of course, caught me off guard. "What?" I spat.

His eyes casually caught mine, and he grinned a bit, which kind of made me want to hit him. Hard. "You heard me, new girl. I've been working with you guys this whole time. If your parents were here, they'd know who I am."

"Don't listen to him," Mason muttered. "He's lying."

"As if I would waste my time," he scoffed, finally standing up. "Now, once I get the door open -"

"If you even have the right key," Oliva interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Continuing as if he hadn't heard her, he finished, "You guys run past the guards."

For once, there were no objections. Satisfied, Eli made his way to the door, a set of small keys in hand. Quietly, he tried opening the door with the first key. No luck.

"Can you guys make some noise so that the guards don't hear us?" he snapped, glancing at us.

I scowled at how rude he was, but I talked anyway. He made sense. I turned to Wyatt, and asked, "Do you think Leo's okay?"

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "He's fine. We'll find him, Verity."

"But -"

"Go, go, go!" Eli yelled, throwing the door open, releasing the light upon our eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

"You" - _inhale_ - "stupid" - _exhale_ - "idiotic" - _inhale_ - "boy!" Olivia breathed, resting her hands on her knees as she breathed heavily.

"What" - _exhale_ - "now?" Eli asked, obviously annoyed.

"You could have" - _inhale_ - "warned us!"

Eli rolled his eyes. "And have" -_ inhale_ - "the guards" -_ exhale_ - "hear?" - _inhale_ - "I don't think so."

"You -!"

"This is going" - _inhale _- "nowhere," Caleb interrupted, finally speaking up. "First of all" - _inhale_ - "where are we?"

Still catching my breath, I looked around. We were surrounded by trees, and there was no sign of light coming from any direction. Though it was nighttime, I expected city lights coming from somewhere, _anywhere._ As the breeze started to kick in as I caught my breath, I finally spoke. "I think we got out a little too easy."

Olivia shot me a glare. "What? Did you want _more _running?"

I refrained from rolling my eyes at her. "No, but still - you'd think they'd have better security."

Caleb shrugged. "Well, we're just kids. They probably didn't think we'd escape."

Eli shook his head. "No, she's right. It should have been worse. They weren't even using any weapons."

"Maybe they're planning something," Mason brought up, shooting Eli an accusing glare.

"Oh stop yelling at him," Cassidy sighed. "All he's done is tried."

"Don't be so naive," Olivia hissed at Cassidy.

Cassidy glared at her. "I'm not! I'm just so sick of blaming everything on him! It's not like he's the one who kidnapped us!"

Mason opened his mouth, probably to try and argue, but was interrupted by the sound of hounds. I almost made a remark of how this was beginning to seem like a cheesy action film when Wyatt grabbed my hand and broke out in a sprint. I heard as everyone else began following.

"Ow!" I hissed, pulling free. "That hurt, Wyatt!"

"Sh!" he snapped back. "Just keep running! And try to be quiet!"

I frowned, but did as he said. I looked back, but I didn't see anyone following. "Wait! Wyatt! No one's following!"

Wyatt didn't answer for a little while, but then he finally said, "They are. Just keep running."

I did as he said, though I didn't understand what he meant. We finally reached the end of the woods, which I didn't think possible, and I could no longer hear the hounds. Panting, I tried to find someone else. No one.

"Wyatt, they weren't following!" I scowled, making my way over to him.

"Look!" Wyatt snapped, pointing to where Olivia was emerging. On another side was Cassidy and Caleb, only semi-out-of-breath. Then, on the opposite side from them were Mason and Haley, then Eli.

"How did you -"

"We're all trained," Olivia replied, flipping her hair as she took in deep breaths. "Unlike you."

Cassidy nodded. "We've been training all our lives, so we know how to outrun a couple of bad guys."

"What Tomas can't?" Caleb added, managing to smile a bit.

"Yeah," Haley's tired voice came. "But us Ekats" - _inhale_ - "aren't as trained."

"Whatever," Olivia said, waving her hand as if to stop this conversation. "We need to find our parents now."

As much as everyone didn't like Olivia, they agreed. As we made our way into town - which was a tad bit suspicious, I'd assume, with us all out of breath and dirty at such a late time - we realized that we had no money, whatsoever.

"They took my wallet," Mason muttered.

"Same here," Caleb said, patting his pockets.

"You should really be more resourceful," Olivia said, rolling her eyes as she pulled out a mini purse from a secret pocket in her jacket. Tossing everyone a few coins, they ran off to find a pay-phone.

Tossing us ours, Wyatt and I ran over to the nearest pay-phone and punched in both Uncle Dan's phone then Jackie's number. Both led to the voice-mail. Sharing a worried look, we made our way back to Olivia as everyone else did.

"No one picked up," Cassidy said quietly, biting her lower lip. Caleb, trying to comfort his twin, put his arm around her protectively.

"My father _always _answers," Mason muttered. "But he didn't."

"Voice-mail," Haley sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Same here," Wyatt answered.

"Well, lucky me, because my mom answered," Olivia replied with a flick of her hair. "She's sending us a ride as soon as she can. I guess we'll all have to go back." She didn't seem very satisfied with still being stuck with us.

Hours passed, and we wasted our time just sitting on the curb. Wyatt was quiet, which was uncharacteristic of him, and I tried to keep quiet too. Inside, my insides were churning as I thought about Leo.

Finally, when the car came, Olivia gave it a disgusted look. "Ew, mother," she muttered under her breath. "I know we're incognito and all, but really?" With a sigh, she stepped in. There were two cars, so Cassidy, Caleb, Haley, and Mason went in the first car - I assumed Mason wanted to get away from Olivia - while Olivia, Eli, Wyatt, and I went in the second car.

The car ride was just as quiet as the wait, and as we pulled to the curb of a huge mansion - honestly, it was grand - I felt my heart pump. I was meeting my aunt for the first time in years. We stepped out of the car, and immediately Olivia made her way past the doors. We - or at least I - had to struggle to keep up.

When Olivia finally pushed past the final doors, we heard a sharp gasp. In front of her was a trashed room.


	7. Chapter 7

My jaw slacked. "Oh my gosh," I whispered, staring at the room. I could see it - how beautiful it must have been once. But now it was dead and empty, and I didn't know what to say. "Olivia..." I slowly walked over to her, trying to help her, but she didn't look as if she wanted the held.

She pushed me away, and began walking into the room. We followed her hesitantly. She pushed past the fallen bed frame and burnt drapes.

"Olivia," Mason said slowly. "No one's here. Are you sure your mo-"

"I know what my mother said!" Olivia snapped. "This is not what it looks like."

I glanced over at Wyatt, who shared a worried look with me. Just as Haley, the last one, stepped into the room, the door closed shut.

Mason, shocked, jogged over to the door and started pulling. "We're stuck!" he exclaimed. He stopped trying, and turned to Olivia. "You're mom tricked us, Olivia! That's just great," he mumbled, glaring down at the door.

"No!" Olivia yelled. "She did not! My mother would never..." she trailed off, and her eyes widened. "M-Mother?" she breathed, catching the shadow that sat behind a wall none of us saw earlier.

"Who's there?" Eli yelled, approaching the shadow cautiously.

With a wave of a delicate hand, the shadow stood. Suddenly, the lights brightened, and the room seemed a lot less scary. "Olivia," was her first word, walking towards us.

Olivia ran towards her mother, and hugged her around the waste. Her mother - my aunt - carefully put her arms around her daughter as well. "I'm glad you're safe," she said softly. "Although I suspected better leadership skills from you."

She ducked her head. "Sorry, mother. I was" - she flushed - "_scared_."

Aunt Natalie pursed her lips in distaste, but sighed. "Yes, I suppose it must have been somewhat frightful for you, Olivia. You managed well, I hope."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, except I feel disgusting and dirty right now."

"We'll get you washed up later," she reassured her daughter. Then, turning to us, she caught my eyes. "You must be Verity," she said, her voice low and calm.

I blinked, surprised she would recognize me after so many years. "Yes. You must be my aunt, Natalie."

She sighed, but nodded. "Yes, you may call me your aunt." She stepped closer, examining me. "You look a lot like your mother, it seems. Especially your eyes..."

I nodded. "Yeah, but they say I'm more like..." I trailed off, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"Hmm," she murmured. "You were supposed to have a little brother, if I remember correctly. Where is he? Not still back with _them_, I hope." Although she didn't seem to be the nicest of people, my aunt, she did seem concerned for my brother's well-fare.

"No," I said, frowning. "He-" I couldn't seem to find my voice anymore once I started thinking about Leo.

Wyatt stepped in for me, fortunately, once he saw my dilemma. "He was taken before they took us, but he wasn't there when we arrived. We don't know where he is."

Aunt Natalie's eyes flew to Wyatt. "And who are you?"

"He's my step-brother," I piped in, finally able to speak.

"So he's Dan's son...?" she asked slowly, obviously not believing that my uncle could ever marry.

"Um, no. He's my uncle's wife's younger brother," I explained. "They don't have their own kids yet."

"Doesn't surprise me," she muttered under her breath. "Right, well, I have much to tell you children before they come to take us. So, I suggest you all sit so I can get this over with."

"Now I know where Olivia got it from," I heard Mason mutter to someone else.

"First of all, I think you all know of the Vespers, correct?" Everyone nodded, except Wyatt and I, but she continued without notice. "My mother, who was a Vesper, has escaped from prison, and now is working with them to get back at us. Fortunately, she has forgotten the clues. Unfortunately, she remembers who landed her in jail. Now, with the Vespers on her side, she's even more dangerous."

It was strange, learning that your grandmother was evil.

"All the branches have been working to try and keep them away, and out of our way as we try to experiment on the serum. But, when you guys got taken away, we decided that the only way to save you guys was to take a break from our work and go undercover. This may be why most of you weren't able to contact your parents. However, I stayed behind for my daughter." She paused, looking over at her daughter who sat, head hung in shame. "It took longer than I expected, but when I finally got the call, I made sure to call the branches immediately."

"What are we going to do now?" Cassidy asked, frowning.

"Don't interrupt me, girl," Aunt Natalie said, scowling. "Now, I am to send you all back to your corresponding branch headquarters. Your parents are all waiting for you."

There was an outbreak of murmurs and even cheers, but I wasn't celebrating yet. "But what about Leo? What about my brother?"

She frowned down at me. "I don't know, Verity. You will have to ask Dan. Now, they will be arriving soon. I must make a phone call first, so if you will excuse me..." She was just about to leave when Olivia stopped her.

"Wait!" she said. "Mother, I know I am supposed to go to the Lucian headquarters with you, but I don't like it there," she whined. "Can't I go with Verity to the Madrigals?"

I frowned. I did_ not_ like that suggestion one bit.

"Why would you want to do that?" her mother asked incredulously.

"I've never been there, but Uncle Ian was a Madrigal -"

"He only married a Madrigal. He is a Lucian by blood," she scowled.

"Still! I want to see it!" Olivia whined. "Please, mother? Can't I go with them?"

Aunt Natalie stared at her daughter for some time, but finally sighed, "Fine. Now, I have to go take a call." She left the room, and Olivia smiled.

"Yes!" she cheered.

I looked around the room, and everyone seemed happy to be seeing their parents again. Even Haley was smiling, talking with Cassidy. Finally, my eyes rested on Eli, who was quiet and sober compared to the rest of them.

"Where do you think he's going?" Wyatt asked, following my stare.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But who cares? He's one of them. He shouldn't even be here." I scowled, turning away from him now.

"Verity, he saved us," Wyatt told me. "He may be one of them, but he doesn't act like one."

I walked away, over to where Mason and Caleb were talking. I watched as Wyatt walked over to Eli, and they started talking. I sighed, shaking my head. He was right, and I knew it. But... how could I accept him so easily? It was his family's fault we were here and Leo was missing.

After some time, Aunt Natalie returned. "Our rides are here."

* * *

**A/N: Gah, again, if anyone is confused, Verity and Leo ARE indeed the children of Ian and Amy. But they are not EXACTLY like their parents. That's incredibly unrealistic -.- No one is exactly like their parents.**

**I don't know if you guys haven't realized this, but I actually really enjoy writing this story. Creating the characters was definitely fun. But I'm curious - is this interesting to _you?_ I know that sometimes the story is more interesting to the writer rather than the reader, so I hope it amuses us both.**

**And... yeah. I hope Natalie seemed in-character to you all. Right now, I think she looks kind of shifty though ;) But there's a reason for that, later to be revealed. Hope you all enjoyed...  
**


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